Rafa needs to re evaluate his relationship with Uncle Toni?

rommil

Legend
It was discussed briefly tonight during the Nadal-Matthieu match how different the atmosphere in the Nadal camp when Uncle Toni is not around, more relaxed at that. They also mentioned an instance where Nadal was playing with a pinball machine while at a tournament, having fun with another player(?) then Uncle Toni walks in, the atmosphere changes and Toni pulls the machine cord plug from the wall. No question that Uncle Toni has a lot of contributions to Rafa's achievement but I think he was responsible too in Rafa playing too many tournaments (of course Rafa could have said no). Above all though, Nadal is one of those players too intense that he never looks like he is relaxed, rarely do you see him smile on court and he doesn't look like he is having a good time out there(he probably does). It's nice to see him play great tennis again but I wish he wouldn't look so burdened all the time.
 

ubermeyer

Hall of Fame
It was discussed briefly tonight during the Nadal-Matthieu match how different the atmosphere in the Nadal camp when Uncle Toni is not around, more relaxed at that. They also mentioned an instance where Nadal was playing with a pinball machine while at a tournament, having fun with another player(?) then Uncle Toni walks in, the atmosphere changes and Toni pulls the machine cord plug from the wall. No question that Uncle Toni has a lot of contributions to Rafa's achievement but I think he was responsible too in Rafa playing too many tournaments (of course Rafa could have said no). Above all though, Nadal is one of those players too intense that he never looks like he is relaxed, rarely do you see him smile on court and he doesn't look like he is having a good time out there(he probably does). It's nice to see him play great tennis again but I wish he wouldn't look so burdened all the time.

very suspicious... this is the kind of thing abusive parents do. poor rafa
 

DarthFed

Hall of Fame
if that pinball sh*t is true then thats just horrible..23 is still glory years she's still pretty much a kid
 

namelessone

Legend
Actually I think he benefits more from Toni's presence in the tournaments where he plays.Nadal is better when he is concentrated,when he is more serious.It is this very factor which makes him a winner and it works for him.Some players play better when loose/relaxed other when they they are tight and concentrated.Nadal is the second kind of player.

I think people who are picturing Toni as some kind of dictator in Rafa's life are wrong.Rafa listens to Toni because he has grown a lot as a player and dare I say,as a human being because of his uncle.Let's not confuse discipline with dictator like behaviour.Toni advices Rafa,he doesn't force him to do anything.I've read many interviews with Toni and he seems like a very balanced guy.He doesn't get payed(from what I've heard) for coaching his nephew even though he has been with him since he was a kid and their relation has changed as Rafa has grown up.Toni said in a recent interview that he cannot advice him as much now because he is not a teenager anymore so cannot force him to do anything.Nadal listens even now because he listened to Toni when he was young and it turned out well for him.

I have seen videos of Rafa playing videogames late into the night with Moya and south american players so it's not like he is not having fun.Nadal is pretty much a teenager and likes to be with people his own age.How did you act when you were with your friends and your dad/mom(adults) walked into the room? Kinda killed the atmosphere a bit didn't it? And this adult is also his coach.Toni gives him his space and lets Rafa learn by making mistakes,like the famous croissant incident in which Nadal ate too many before a match and payed the price by having stomach aches during the match.

Toni cares about Rafa's career and he cares about Rafa,he is family after all,not just his student.It is only a illusion that he keeps Nadal on a tight leash.As far as I know Rafa has an Aston Martin,buys motorcycles,goes out with his friends in Mallorca,has a good time in short and this is not hampered by Tony in any way.But I think tony has the right idea when it comes to tournaments.Rafa has to be serious on court because it works for him.We have seen this.His uncle is there as a stabilising element in his life,it reminds him that he needs to be disciplined in order to win.And tony isn't in a position to order Rafa around.He isn't payed and he is family.And Nadal is making all the big bucks in the family.But Nadal listens to him because he has great respect for his uncle.

Many tennis players who got lost in their careers,some far more talented than Nadal,could have used a coach like Toni.
 

egn

Hall of Fame
There is nothing wrong with Toni. Rafa needs to step it up and let Toni know that he does occasionally want to have some fun. Rafa will do fine no matter what and Toni is doing a great job coaching him, but Toni can be a bit extreme at points. However Toni is only dong it because he wants to keep Rafa focused and it might also have to do with being with Rafa for so long. He remembers when Rafa was a teenager and most teenagers don't make the best choices at all times. Rafa needs to remind Toni he is older now and can make his own choices. There is more though than just this, the whole Nadal family is having tense times as made clear when his parents divorced. I imagine the conflicts with Toni might be a bit deeper rooted. I am sure it will pass with time.
 
I'm no Nadal fan, but it sounds like time for both of them to move on, and ditch this "keeping it in the family" BS.
Time to get a real coach.... Bye bye Toni...
 
T

TennisandMusic

Guest
Man this is astounding. Do you guys treat people you know in real life like this? So now Toni is not a real coach? Has Nadal won a major on every single surface vs. Federer, and taken number 1 from him, or hasn't he? Who taught Nadal to do these things?

Secondly, this story is what you call "hearsay." Is it true? If it IS true, is it not exaggerated in the least? Surely all of you know what gossip is, how it is quickly turned into lies, and how acting on that information in any way can end up making one look like a fool?

These are just stories people, and we have no way to know if there is any truth in them. It's just such a silly thing, to see how people react with such grandiose opinions based on pointless gossip.

"I heard Toni is really controlling!" - "Oh yeah? Well Nadal should dump that jerk! Get someone who can train him to be the best, not some hack like Toni!" - Said the internets.

Get real people!
 
D

Deleted member 21996

Guest
Man this is astounding. Do you guys treat people you know in real life like this? So now Toni is not a real coach? Has Nadal won a major on every single surface vs. Federer, and taken number 1 from him, or hasn't he? Who taught Nadal to do these things?

Secondly, this story is what you call "hearsay." Is it true? If it IS true, is it not exaggerated in the least? Surely all of you know what gossip is, how it is quickly turned into lies, and how acting on that information in any way can end up making one look like a fool?

These are just stories people, and we have no way to know if there is any truth in them. It's just such a silly thing, to see how people react with such grandiose opinions based on pointless gossip.

"I heard Toni is really controlling!" - "Oh yeah? Well Nadal should dump that jerk! Get someone who can train him to be the best, not some hack like Toni!" - Said the internets.

Get real people!


yes.. it's al hearsay... like Damir Dokic, Dr Bartoli, Srdjan Djokovic, Mike Agassi and many others are not examples enough fo what a tennis parent (or family relative) for you to believe...

they are all wrong... you are the only one correct!:rolleyes:
 

namelessone

Legend
@gorecki,some of the people you mentioned are psychos,not parents,especially dokic's father.Toni seems like a very balanced person from what I've seen and as I have said already,people here are confusing discipline with dictatorship.

Toni doesn't tell Nadal what to do.He advices him.Big difference.But Rafa has learned almost everything he knows about tennis from his uncle so it's only natural that he listens to him.Hearing some of you,you would think his uncle controls his life.Toni has said he doesn't treat Rafa like a kid anymore because he isn't one anymore so their work dynamic has changed.I would bet he spent more time with his uncle than his father/mother/sister so he is pretty close to the guy.And Nadal has a lot of fun,once he is off the court his uncle can't say anything about it.While Tony wants Rafa to be disciplined on court,he doesn't mind what Rafa does off-court.Like I said before,for all his serious behaviour on court,he is just another teenager,but a rich,succesful teenager.He drives a Aston Martin,he bought a motorcycle,he goes jetskiing and so on,so it's not like his uncle is saying "be home at this hour".

Their relationship as uncle/coach-nephew/student works.It is Toni who suggested Rafa play left-handed,he suggested he play heavy topspin after the example of table tennis players and he instilled deep into Nadal's psyche the fact that he has to work hard in order to win.It's not "keeping it in the family".If Tony is a good coach,one shouldn't diss him just because he is part of Nadal's family.I don't think Nadal keeps him as a coach just cause he is family.Nadal is so competitive that if the thought his uncle was holding him back he would have dropped his service and hired another coach.But seeing as Nadal doesn't mind I don't think it matters much.
 
D

Deleted member 21996

Guest
@gorecki,some of the people you mentioned are psychos,not parents,especially dokic's father.Toni seems like a very balanced person from what I've seen and as I have said already,people here are confusing discipline with dictatorship.

Toni doesn't tell Nadal what to do.He advices him.Big difference.But Rafa has learned almost everything he knows about tennis from his uncle so it's only natural that he listens to him.Hearing some of you,you would think his uncle controls his life.Toni has said he doesn't treat Rafa like a kid anymore because he isn't one anymore so their work dynamic has changed.I would bet he spent more time with his uncle than his father/mother/sister so he is pretty close to the guy.And Nadal has a lot of fun,once he is off the court his uncle can't say anything about it.While Tony wants Rafa to be disciplined on court,he doesn't mind what Rafa does off-court.Like I said before,for all his serious behaviour on court,he is just another teenager,but a rich,succesful teenager.He drives a Aston Martin,he bought a motorcycle,he goes jetskiing and so on,so it's not like his uncle is saying "be home at this hour".

Their relationship as uncle/coach-nephew/student works.It is Toni who suggested Rafa play left-handed,he suggested he play heavy topspin after the example of table tennis players and he instilled deep into Nadal's psyche the fact that he has to work hard in order to win.It's not "keeping it in the family".If Tony is a good coach,one shouldn't diss him just because he is part of Nadal's family.I don't think Nadal keeps him as a coach just cause he is family.Nadal is so competitive that if the thought his uncle was holding him back he would have dropped his service and hired another coach.But seeing as Nadal doesn't mind I don't think it matters much.

that is a totally diferent perspective from what T&M was coming up. i partially agree with you...

of course Tony is not 1\10 of the psycho Domir et al is, and i was not comparing him. just saying that sometimes family gets too involved unlike T&M was pretending!
 

featherlight

Professional
uncle toni is not that kind of guy , he and rafa are very close , there is a video of he and rafa playing ping pong on you tube
 

Lifted

Semi-Pro
Man this is astounding. Do you guys treat people you know in real life like this? So now Toni is not a real coach? Has Nadal won a major on every single surface vs. Federer, and taken number 1 from him, or hasn't he? Who taught Nadal to do these things?

Secondly, this story is what you call "hearsay." Is it true? If it IS true, is it not exaggerated in the least? Surely all of you know what gossip is, how it is quickly turned into lies, and how acting on that information in any way can end up making one look like a fool?

These are just stories people, and we have no way to know if there is any truth in them. It's just such a silly thing, to see how people react with such grandiose opinions based on pointless gossip.

"I heard Toni is really controlling!" - "Oh yeah? Well Nadal should dump that jerk! Get someone who can train him to be the best, not some hack like Toni!" - Said the internets.

Get real people!

Surely you just proved your point.
 

Gen

Banned
It's not the matter of firing Uncle Toni. It's the matter of explaining to him that he behaved like a jerk. Nobody can do things like that to little kids even. Rafa and the other player were fully grownup persons. How the hell can somebody unplug their equipment only because he didn't like noise? Get out of the room, if you don't like it.
 

TheFifthSet

Legend
yes.. it's al hearsay... like Damir Dokic, Dr Bartoli, Srdjan Djokovic, Mike Agassi and many others are not examples enough fo what a tennis parent (or family relative) for you to believe...

they are all wrong... you are the only one correct!:rolleyes:

Is that really how you choose to interpret his post? :-?

'Cause I don't recall him specifically touching on Uncle Toni's character . . . . just that you shouldn't automatically believe in a sensationalistic rumor which thus far has not been verified.
 

CCNM

Hall of Fame
Nadal needs to learn to think/speak for himself. Sometimes I think he's telling the media what Toni wants him to say, or what they want to hear. Rafa, you're NOT stupid!!!!
 

rommil

Legend
Man this is astounding. Do you guys treat people you know in real life like this? So now Toni is not a real coach? Has Nadal won a major on every single surface vs. Federer, and taken number 1 from him, or hasn't he? Who taught Nadal to do these things?

Secondly, this story is what you call "hearsay." Is it true? If it IS true, is it not exaggerated in the least? Surely all of you know what gossip is, how it is quickly turned into lies, and how acting on that information in any way can end up making one look like a fool?

These are just stories people, and we have no way to know if there is any truth in them. It's just such a silly thing, to see how people react with such grandiose opinions based on pointless gossip.

"I heard Toni is really controlling!" - "Oh yeah? Well Nadal should dump that jerk! Get someone who can train him to be the best, not some hack like Toni!" - Said the internets.

Get real people!

You can call it hearsay I guess. Darren Cahill and Brad Gilbert were the ones mentioning the story and another incident as well. They did recognize Uncle Toni's contribution and how he is the "taskmaster" when he is around. The way they mentioned it was in a straightforward way, comparing the environment with and without Toni. If you can watch a tape go ahead. They said the coach-player aspect is fine, the uncle-nephew was the angle that was discussed. No need to get aggressive or defensive on this matter. If you can watch it and listen it was talked about objectively. Am I the only one that heard this? lol. Maybe Rafa doesn't mind it. It just didn't sound right.
 
D

Deleted member 21996

Guest
Is that really how you choose to interpret his post? :-?

'Cause I don't recall him specifically touching on Uncle Toni's character . . . . just that you shouldn't automatically believe in a sensationalistic rumor which thus far has not been verified.

i dont believe sensationalistc crap, but tennis is full of crazy parents, coaches and other significant others...

so i wouldnt be surprised if it was true...

just that comprende?:evil:
 

TheFifthSet

Legend
i dont believe sensationalistc crap, but tennis is full of crazy parents, coaches and other significant others...

so i wouldnt be surprised if it was true...

just that comprende?:evil:

Well sure, but I don't think TennisAndMusic was explicitly denying that it was true . . . . just taking an issue with those who assume even in the absence of evidence.

comprende. :twisted:
 
D

Deleted member 21996

Guest
Well sure, but I don't think TennisAndMusic was explicitly denying that it was true . . . . just taking an issue with those who assume even in the absence of evidence.

comprende. :twisted:

you know what Mr bruce Willis says about assuming and and motherhood... dont you...!
 

rommil

Legend
Very true something like toni asking Rafa to stop playing pinball can qickly be exagerted to him pullin out the plug

So if he actually pulled the plug what would the gossip version be? He dismantled the machine by slamming his Iberostar cap on it?

Check the pro match results section. I think some people commented on it as well. Bt if you saw the match commentary last night at ESPN, Cahill and Gilbert were mentioning specific incidents that happened. Or maybe they just like talking rumors on air.
 
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